Best Job I've Had - Technical Lead Instacart Employee Review

5.0
May 30, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

For the past 4 years that I've been an engineer at Instacart, I've learned more every month than I would have in 6 months at another job. The company is growing so quickly that there are always new problems to solve. Decisions are made based on the merit of the idea rather than the tenure of the person who suggests it. Jerks are not tolerated, and people know how to disagree respectively and constructively with one another.

Cons

Because we are growing so quickly, code and processes often break and need to be improved or replaced with something better. This is not frustrating for me because when I see something is broken I know I am empowered to fix it, but I recognize that this job isn't for everybody.

Explore other reviews about Instacart

5.0
Jun 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible schedule and independent work environment with good earning potential during busy hours.

Cons

Pay can vary by day and vehicle expenses like gas and maintenance add up quickly.

2.0
Jun 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fun going out and talking to people. You will interact with people everyday. You control how much you get paid. Lots of flexibility in the time between accepting an order and traveling to the store and beginning to shop. It isn't pedal to the metal to get to the store like DoorDash is. You can also cancel batches after accepting as long as you keep your rate under 15%. This is different from DoorDash where your rankings will suffer if g.t. 2% cancellation rate.

Cons

There's a learning curve and it takes a while to learn each chain of stores' items. Once you become proficient at one store, the algorithm will lowball your offers relative to other less-experienced Instacart shoppers. Overall, Instacart shoppers likely get paid similar or less than the store's regular employees.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All